Aston, Dianna. An Egg is Quiet. (ill by Sylvia Long.) Chronicle Books, 2006. In an elegantly over-sized format (double page spreads are ll”xl7 l/2”), artist Long provides pastel, lushly detailed watercolor illustrations for the simple text. A list of qualities (ie: an egg is shapely) is accompanied by more detailed information telling interesting, little known facts (ie: some sharks do begin life as eggs). Ample white space showcases the wide variety of subtle color differences among eggs and the pages are large enough for the artist to show size differences effectively. Comparisons are helpful: it would take 2000 hummingbird eggs to equal the size of a single ostrich egg. The book stretches children’s thinking: who would think an egg is “artistic?” Aston did, and Long shows that so effectively. The book is an unexpected delight. John Warren Stewig Carthage College